Northern Sky Research, a satellite analyst firm, expects satellite broadband users in North America will break the one million mark in late 2008 or early 2009. About 1.25 million Americans will use satellite broadband in their homes and small businesses by 2011, up from 600,000 last year, according to Pike & Fischer while global subscribers will exceed four million by 2016, says NSR.
NSR’s latest report, “Broadband Satellite Markets, 7th Edition,” predicts revenues from consumer satellite broadband services will overtake enterprise class broadband VSAT network services by 2013.
Classic VSAT networking services for corporate and governmental clients have dominated the satellite broadband market. But NSR anticipates that by the end of 2008, total subscribers to single site satellite broadband Internet access services, mainly but not exclusively found in North America, will surpass the global installed base of broadband VSAT sites in the corporate and government market. Also by the end of 2008, consumer satellite capacity will exceed that used by corporate and governmental VSAT networks.
NSR projects by 2013 total global revenues generated by satellite broadband Internet access services will top those coming from corporate and government broadband VSAT clients. By 2017, NSR anticipates that global satellite broadband Internet access revenues will hit US$3.86 billion, up from US$823 million in 2007.
Satellite Is Sexy Again, says Business Week
- In January, Harbinger invested $150 million in Mobile Satellite Ventures, which plans to provide mobile broadband services above North America in the MSS Band (2.1 GHz) in a year or so.
- TerreStar aims to provide mobile broadband and satphone services in the L band (1.6 GHz) in a couple of years. In February, Harbinger teamed up with EchoStar and others to pour $300 million into the venture which aims to provide geosynchronous satphone service (with terrestrial repeaters). TerreStar-I will have an antenna almost 60 feet across with up to 500 dynamically-configurable spot beams.
- ICO Global Communications has successfully launched its new multimedia satellite. ICO is planning DVB-SH for mobile television to automobiles and mobile computers.
- Wild Blue has been delivering broadband to homes in North America for $50/month for several years. Their new broadband spotbeam geosychronous satellite is now operational, in addition to sharing Canada’s similar Anik bird.
- Hughes Spaceway is now operational and providing broadband point to point and multipoint broadband connections in North America for both businesses and consumers. SPACEWAY employs onboard digital processing, packet switching, and spot-beams to offer direct site-to-site connectivity at rates of from 512 Kbps up to 16 Mbps
- Inmarsat BGAN service will be enhanced with its third I-4 platform for global spot beam coverage, delivering broadband terminals the size of laptops.
In unrelated news, Bermuda-based Intelsat — which was acquired in February by BC Partners and other equity investors — is selling $7 billion in junk bonds help pay for “change-of-control” offers to outstanding note holders. Some previous FCC Commissioners, like William Kennard and Richard Wiley, have made millions orchestrating such mergers.
Late last year, Inmarsat and MSV agreed to limited cooperation. TerreStar is also thought to be in talks to combine with ICO. Some industry observers believe a satphone merger is likely between multiple companies.
Related space and satellite news on DailyWireless includes; Globalstar: We Bad, HughesNet + Wayport + ICO/DVB-SH, Galaxy 18 Cable Sat Launched, Freesat: Free Satellite HD in UK, ICO Deploys 40 Foot Antenna, ICO G-1 In Space, ICO Wants Its Mobile TV - via DVB-SH, Dish Network Testing DVB-SH, HughesNet’s Spaceway 3 Now Available, AMC-14: Killed by Lawyers?, Satellite Radio Merger Goes to FCC, Spot Beam Sats Multiply, Satphones: Merger Ahead?, Inmarsat + SkyTerra = Spectrum Sharing, AT&T Goes with FLO, What’s Dish Network Planning?, WiMAX TV from NextWave, Italy Testing DVB-SH Mobile TV, Mobile/Handheld TV: Killer App? and Mobile TV War at NAB 2007.
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